Early Christmas Gift
by jekkah
Summary: Written for Flames101 as part of the JJ-Hotch Safe Haven group Christmas fic exchange on FB. JJ and Hotch get stranded at Rossi's cabin a few days before Christmas.


_Author's Note: Over at the JJ-Hotch Safe Haven on Facebook, we decided to have a JJ/Hotch Christmas exchange. I got **Flames101**, who had the following prompts: a snow storm, an ugly Christmas Tree, fireplace, Doctor Who Christmas Special, mistletoe. Happy Holidays, Rania! Hope you enjoy!_

**Early Christmas Gift**

"I can't believe we're stuck here," JJ commented, staring out the huge bay window in the living room of Rossi's cottage. She ran her hands up and down her blue sweater covered arms. She sighed as she looked at the darkened snow kissed trees. She turned to look at her traveling companion. "I'm pretty sure that he did this on purpose."

Hotch chuckled. "As much as I would love to blame Dave for this, I'm pretty sure that even he couldn't fix the weather so that a freak snow storm that no one predicted would trap us up here."

She huffed. "No, but he could pay off all the weathermen to hide it from the news."

"For what reason?" Hotch asked.

"No reason," JJ muttered, a blush creeping up her neck as her boss continued to stare at her.

Hotch shrugged. "Besides, it was my idea to store the boys' gifts up here and my idea to retrieve them this weekend."

JJ glanced at him. "Correction: you told me that you were hiding Jack's gifts up here and I bullied you and Dave until you let me do the same with Henry's." She sighed again as she turned back to the window. "I guess this is karma."

"Come on, JJ," he told her, cheerfully. "It's not all bad. The cabin's fully stocked with food-"

"-and wine," she added.

"-and the satellite's still working so we won't miss the Doctor Who Christmas Special-"

JJ rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't want to miss that."

Hotch continued as if he hadn't heard her sarcasm. "The fireplace is warm and the scenery is breathtaking. If you can just get past the company, I bet you'll have a great time."

"The company?" she repeated. "What are you talking about? I love spending time with you. "I mean," she cringed visibly, "you're- you're- f-fun to hang out with and I- I- I- really-"

"JJ," he interrupted, "I like hanging out with you, too." He smirked as her skin flushed an even deeper shade of red. JJ turned from him to hide her embarrassment and Hotch felt a little tug in his gut. "What do you say we crack open a bottle of wine? I mean, we're definitely not going anywhere tonight, possibly not tomorrow, either."

JJ's eyes widened. "How long do you think we'll be stuck here? I can't miss Christmas Eve, Hotch! I only get Henry until eleven on Christmas Day. We have a whole evening planned with-"

Hotch grabbed her shoulders to force her to stop talking. "JJ. Christmas Eve is days away. I promise we'll make it back by then, even if I have to carry you on my back to get you home."

"Right." She shot him a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Hotch. It's just that it's my first Christmas since the divorce and I just want it to be perfect for Henry."

"I understand, JJ," he assured her. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that you and Henry have the best Christmas possible." Realizing his hands were still on her shoulders, he directed her to the couch. "Sit and enjoy the fire. I'm going to get some wine."

JJ sat down in the corner of the couch, facing the fireplace. She called after him, "Grab some food from the fridge, too!"

Now alone with her thoughts, JJ's mortification once again asserted itself. It was bad enough that she had browbeat Hotch and Rossi into letting her store Henry's gifts at the cabin in the hope that she would be able to spend a few hours alone with Hotch when they went to retrieve the gifts. She had not anticipated a surprise snow storm stranding them alone together for possibly days.

Rubbing her hands over her face, JJ chastised herself for those thoughts. Her crush on her boss, and she refused to call it anything more than a crush, had been long standing, but she had long ago stopped being affected by it. Or so she thought. It appeared that the crush had re-emerged in full force causing her to feel like a twelve-year-old any time she was around him now. She was sure that one of these days her skin was going to permanently become the color of a tomato.

"We're in luck," Hotch announced, almost giddily. He held up a bottle of wine and two glasses in one hand. "Apparently, Dave's been here recently. He restocked the wine with the good stuff. And," Hotch produced a tray with cheese, grapes, and other nibbles, "we've got fresh food."

"I wonder who he's been bringing up here anyway," JJ murmured, grabbing the tray and placing it on the coffee table.

"I don't know." Hotch shrugged. He laughed sheepishly when she continued to stare at him. "No, honestly, I have no idea. I know he's been seeing someone, but he's been completely tight-lipped about it."

Popping a grape into her mouth, JJ narrowed her eyes. "Okay, I'll choose to believe you... this time."

Hotch poured them each a glass of wine. "Thanks. That's... reassuring." He grabbed a few slices of cheese before settling in the middle of the couch. "Do you want to turn the TV on?"

"As much as I'm dying to watch The Doctor Who Christmas Special, I think I'll wait until I get home," she commented. The truth of the matter was that she did want to watch it and almost desperately so, but she knew she would totally geek out over it and she preferred to do that in the privacy of her own apartment.

"Suit yourself." He took a long sip of wine, eying the living room. He finished his wine and noticing JJ finished hers also, poured them both another glass. "This place needs a Christmas tree."

JJ raised an eyebrow. "A Christmas tree?"

Hotch nodded. "A blue one... or maybe a purple one... with silver garland and multi-colored lights."

"No offense, Hotch, but that is one ugly Christmas tree."

They both held each other's gaze until they burst out with laughter. Hotch bumped her shoulder with his own. "I never said I was an interior decorator. I bet you have a perfect tree at your place."

JJ leaned against him, the wine already spreading warmth throughout her body. "Hardly. But it is just plain old green. With white lights."

"Why white?" he asked, finishing his second glass.

"Because I like the colors of the ornaments to really pop." She cleared her throat. "Most of my ornaments are homemade. We've been making them since I was a kid. Henry and I do it every year."

It was the wine or possibly the setting with the snow outside and the fire roaring inside that caused Hotch to put his arm around JJ and lay his cheek on her head. "That sounds like fun. I bet Jack would get a kick out of it."

JJ's heart raced as Hotch absently used his thumbs to run circles over her arm. She fought to keep her breath even. "We haven't done it yet this year. I'm planning on making them Monday evening, you know, if we ever get out of here. You and Jack are welcome to come over and make some with us."

"I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't be," she whispered, looking up at him.

Hotch found his mouth mere inches from hers. "Well, if you're sure..."

Licking her lips, JJ nodded once. "I'm sure."

"JJ..."

She glanced from his eyes to his lips and back again. As his lips inched closer to hers, she suddenly realized that she was sitting on the couch close to kissing her boss and she had no idea if he wanted her to. JJ jumped up from the couch. "I, uh, I'm just going to get some more wine."

Hotch ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. He had been so close to kissing her, mauling her, if he was honest with himself. He felt guilt gnaw at his stomach. She was his friend, a woman just coming off of a divorce. She was also his employee. He had no right to force himself on her when she clearly wanted nothing to do with him in a romantic sense. How could he have been so stupid as to mistake her wanting to do something nice for his son as an invitation for something more?

"Hotch? Are you okay?"

He looked up to see her standing over him with a concerned expression written all over her face. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She appeared unconvinced, but didn't press him any further. She poured them both another glass of wine before sitting down. She was more than a little sad when he shifted slightly away from her. "So, what are you and Jack planning to do for Christmas?"

"We're, uh, not really planning on doing anything. Jessica's visiting Ron's family this year and Haley's parents aren't exactly welcoming so we're just going to spend the holidays at home. Jack opens his gifts Christmas morning," Hotch explained, a hint of sadness in his tone.

"You know, if you're interested, I was going to make Henry a Christmas breakfast. We would love for you and Henry to join us." Her offer was sincere; her heart breaking over the thought of the two of them sitting home alone.

Hotch thought it over for a moment. "We'd love to; on one condition." She shot him a questioning look. "You let us make you Christmas dinner."

Breathing a sigh of relief, JJ smiled. She had been dreading Christmas night after her baby boy left. "I can definitely agree to that."

They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. JJ was debating if his invitation for dinner meant that he felt sorry for her or if he wanted to spend more time with her. Hotch was debating a similar conflict over her invitation for breakfast. They were both contemplating the near kiss awhile ago, whether they had actually almost kissed or whether they were reading into something that wasn't there.

"I wish we had some mistletoe," JJ lamented. She slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized that she had said that out loud. "Oh, shit."

He waited until she ventured to look at him before teasing, "And just what would you like to do with mistletoe?"

JJ prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. "I, um, I-"

"Come on, Jayje." Hotch was enjoying her discomfort. The now two empty bottles of wine had him ore relaxed than he felt in a long time. He snatched a bunch of grapes from the tray and held it above the space between them. "Pretend this is some mistletoe. What are you going to do?"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Hotch," she mocked.

He was unperturbed, enjoying his playfulness for once instead of shying away from it. "No, really, JJ. I want to know."

JJ smirked. "You wanna know? You really want to know?" He nodded enthusiastically. "You asked for it."

She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her. She laid her lips on his, intending to shock him with a brief kiss. She hadn't anticipated his hands going instantly to her waist, causing her to gasp. Hotch took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

Hotch was unprepared for the jolt he felt the moment his tongue intertwined with hers. He slid his hands up her back to her shoulder blades, pulling her flush against his body. He was already addicted to her. He knew deep in his gut that he wouldn't be able to give her up now that he had tasted her.

JJ felt euphorically drugged. Even as she kissed him, she craved for more. She soon found herself pressed against the couch, relishing the feel of his body pressed against hers. JJ ran her hands under his sweater as he broke the kiss to lick, suck, and nip her neck.

"Oh, God!" she moaned as he lifted her sweater over her head. "Ho-otch."

Hotch paused in his ministrations to look down on her. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and ran his thumb across her swollen lips. His dark eyes bore into her light ones. "You are so beautiful."

JJ opened for mouth to respond, but Hotch once again claimed it. She was lost in sensations by the time his sweater joined hers on the floor. By the time his fingers dipped below her jeans, she had forgotten her name. Her entire world narrowed done to want of this man.

She awoke a few hours later, laying atop of his chest, their legs intertwined. The fire was dying, but Hotch had thrown a blanket haphazardly over their cooling bodies. She felt her eyes well up when she realized what she had done.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Hotch asked, stroking her cheek.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, tears falling.

Hotch paled. "For what?"

Rolling her eyes, JJ's cheeks heated up. "For this! I never should have kissed you. I'm sorry, so sorry."

"I'm not," he declared. "I'm glad you kissed me. In fact, I've been trying to figure out how to kiss you for the last few months."

"You have?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't know how to do it without coming off as a complete cad. I mean, you just got divorced."

JJ laughed. "A cad? Really, Hotch?"

"I'm bringing it back, making it hip again," Hotch joked.

"Oh, wow." She put her forehead on his chest. Her entire body shook with laughter causing an affect on a certain part of his anatomy. JJ gasped as his swelling hit her center. She forced herself to concentrate. "So, you've wanted to kiss me for the last few months?"

Hotch licked his lips. "Truthfully? I've wanted to kiss you since the first day that I met you. But our timing was just never right." He paused. "I think the timing's right now." His eyes softened. "Do you?"

JJ bit her bottom lip before nodding. "I do."

Letting out the breath he had been holding, he gathered her close again. "So, you'll let me take you out on a date?"

"Just name the date and time."

"Maybe many dates?"

JJ smiled. "I think I can guarantee that."

He kissed her forehead and nose. "And maybe an engagement?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," she told him, but her stomach fluttered at the thought of Hotch proposing to her and wonder at that. She put it out of her head for another day.

Hotch placed a tender kiss on her lips. "I have never been so glad for a snow storm as I am right now."

"Merry Christmas, Hotch."

"Merry Christmas."

THE END


End file.
